1 PRIME MINISTER OYUN-ERDENE VISITS EGIIN GOL HYDROPOWER PLANT PROJECT SITE WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/30      2 ‘I FELT CAUGHT BETWEEN CULTURES’: MONGOLIAN MUSICIAN ENJI ON HER BEGUILING, BORDER-CROSSING MUSIC WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/30      3 POWER OF SIBERIA 2: ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OR GEOPOLITICAL RISK FOR MONGOLIA? WWW.THEDIPLOMAT.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      4 UNITED AIRLINES TO LAUNCH FLIGHTS TO MONGOLIA IN MAY WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      5 SIGNATURE OF OIL SALES AGREEMENT FOR BLOCK XX PRODUCTION WWW.RESEARCH-TREE.COM  PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      6 MONGOLIA ISSUES E-VISAS TO 11,575 FOREIGNERS IN Q1 WWW.XINHUANET.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      7 KOREA AN IDEAL PARTNER TO HELP MONGOLIA GROW, SEOUL'S ENVOY SAYS WWW.KOREAJOONGANGDAILY.JOINS.COM  PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      8 MONGOLIA TO HOST THE 30TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF ASIA SECURITIES FORUM WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      9 BAGAKHANGAI-KHUSHIG VALLEY RAILWAY PROJECT LAUNCHES WWW.UBPOST.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      10 THE MONGOLIAN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND FDI: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITY WWW.MELVILLEDALAI.COM  PUBLISHED:2025/04/28      849 ТЭРБУМЫН ӨРТӨГТЭЙ "ГАШУУНСУХАЙТ-ГАНЦМОД" БООМТЫН ТЭЗҮ-Д ТУРШЛАГАГҮЙ, МОНГОЛ 2 КОМПАНИ ҮНИЙН САНАЛ ИРҮҮЛЭВ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     ХУУЛЬ БУСААР АШИГЛАЖ БАЙСАН "БОГД УУЛ" СУВИЛЛЫГ НИЙСЛЭЛ ӨМЧЛӨЛДӨӨ БУЦААВ WWW.NEWS.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     МЕТРО БАРИХ ТӨСЛИЙГ ГҮЙЦЭТГЭХЭЭР САНАЛАА ӨГСӨН МОНГОЛЫН ГУРВАН КОМПАНИ WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     "UPC RENEWABLES" КОМПАНИТАЙ ХАМТРАН 2400 МВТ-ЫН ХҮЧИН ЧАДАЛТАЙ САЛХИН ЦАХИЛГААН СТАНЦ БАРИХААР БОЛОВ WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     ОРОСЫН МОНГОЛ УЛС ДАХЬ ТОМООХОН ТӨСЛҮҮД ДЭЭР “ГАР БАРИХ” СОНИРХОЛ БА АМБИЦ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     МОНГОЛ, АНУ-ЫН ХООРОНД ТАВДУГААР САРЫН 1-НЭЭС НИСЛЭГ ҮЙЛДЭНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     ЕРӨНХИЙ САЙД Л.ОЮУН-ЭРДЭНЭ ЭГИЙН ГОЛЫН УЦС-ЫН ТӨСЛИЙН ТАЛБАЙД АЖИЛЛАЖ БАЙНА WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     Ц.ТОД-ЭРДЭНЭ: БИЧИГТ БООМТЫН ЕРӨНХИЙ ТӨЛӨВЛӨГӨӨ БАТЛАГДВАЛ БУСАД БҮТЭЭН БАЙГУУЛАЛТЫН АЖЛУУД ЭХЛЭХ БОЛОМЖ БҮРДЭНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     MCS-ИЙН ХОЁР ДАХЬ “УХАА ХУДАГ”: БНХАУ, АВСТРАЛИТАЙ ХАМТРАН ЭЗЭМШДЭГ БАРУУН НАРАНГИЙН ХАЙГУУЛЫГ УЛСЫН ТӨСВӨӨР ХИЙЖЭЭ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     АМ.ДОЛЛАРЫН ХАНШ ТОГТВОРЖИЖ 3595 ТӨГРӨГ БАЙНА WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29    

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Events

Events

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MBCC “Doing Business with Mongolia seminar and Christmas Receptiom” Dec 10. 2024 London UK MBCCI London UK Goodman LLC

NEWS

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Direct aid program awards 10 organisations to assist Mongolian development www.mongolia.gogo.mn

On Thursday 17 November 2016, Ambassador John Langtry awarded grants to ten organisations selected under the Direct Aid Program (DAP). Each project (see attached list) will contribute towards the development of Mongolia and be implemented in areas including youth development, women empowerment, environment, public health, poverty reduction, agriculture, and improving governance. The organizations will mainstream disability inclusiveness and gender across the grants to ensure the benefits of grants outreach equally to people with disability and men and women.
Since 2003, over 100 Mongolian NGOs and organisations have implemented a total of 114 projects. A total of 120 applications were received for the 2016-2017 DAP grants.
“DAP is a good opportunity for Mongolian organisations particularly civic and non- profits to address social and environmental issues. Demand for this competitive grant is getting higher as the number of organisations applying for has been increasing. I congratulate the organisations who won the grant for 2016-2017 and I am sure that they would do a great job. In the meantime, I thank all the organisations which participated and urge them to apply for the next round of DAP in June 2017,” said Ambassador John Langtry.
Tsenguun Tumurkhuyag, Program Manager for Mongol Ecology Centre said “We are happy to receive the Australian Government funding to implement our Junior Ranger Program. 200 students in 4-7th grades from Hatgal and Khankh secondary school will learn to protect Mongolia’s environment and learn natural history of Hovsgol area, its geological features, biological diversity, hydrologic cycle, forestry, soil composition and climate change impacts.”
ABOUT DAP
DAP is a flexible small grants program funded from Australia’s aid budget. DAP funding is designed to advance developmental outcomes with projects primarily focused on practical and tangible results. This may include projects which support good governance, human rights and those with a strong advocacy component.
1. Establishing a Classroom for Orientation in Surroundings at School #116 for Visually Impaired and Blind Children
Around 8,000 Mongolians are either blind or visually impaired. They are unemployed and poor. School #116 is the only school in Mongolia for the visually impaired and the blind. With DAP funding, School # 116 will establish a special classroom on Orientation and Surroundings with the aim to develop the skills of the students. Direct beneficiaries of the project will be 120 current students as well as their parents and future students.
2. Expanding Paper Craft Production Using Waste Newspapers
In 2005, a group of Mongolians with mobility disability got together, to form the Mongolian National Association for Wheelchair Users (MNAWU). Today, the MNAWU serves over 700 members, a half of whom are women. The Women’s Department of the Mongolian National Association for Wheelchair Users wants to ensure equal participation in employment for women with a mobility disability and women whose child with disability. The project will establish a business cooperation overseeing a production and sales structure, and train 50 women to produce and sell souvenirs on a regular basis and increase their family income in a more sustainable way.
3. Human Papilloma Virus in Mongolia
One of the most challenging public health issues facing women in Mongolia, irrespective of age, education and wealth, is cervical cancer. At least 300 new cases are diagnosed each year and 85% are at the late stage. Cervical cancer is the 2nd most common malignancy among women in Mongolia. Mongolia implemented a pilot project in 2012 and vaccinated 9,111 girls aged between 11 and 15. However, the program was unsuccessful in the face of anti-vaccination lobby groups.
The Cancer Council of Mongolia will conduct a study among 19 to 20 year old women in Selenge and Umnugobi provinces. Their research will evaluate particular types of HPV (16, 18 and 45) among 500 vaccinated and 500 unvaccinated young women. Moreover, other types of HPVs (31, 33, 35, 39, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66 and 58) will be assessed. The findings will be important evidence to inform and design a nationwide vaccination program.
4. Enhancing the Capacity of Mongolian Scouts to Support Youth
The Scout Association of Mongolia in collaboration with Scouts Australia will establish a national campground on its recently secured land, which is 85km north of UB. As a result, 6-25 years old Mongolians, volunteers and leaders will be able to benefit from this open-air activities shelter. Asian regional Scout Jamborees will be held in Mongolia in 2017.
5. Engage Future Stewards of Conservation by Developing a Junior Ranger Program in Gateway Communities of Lake Hovsgol National Park
In 2014-2015, some 45,000 international and domestic travelers visited Lake Hovsgol, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mongolia. The tourism season is short and lasts for only two months; the majority of locals in Hankh and Hatgal soums try to benefit from the influx of tourists by engaging in a variety of tourism services, ranging from setting up ger camps to working as drivers and tour guides and selling crafts.
The Mongol Ecology Center was established in 2010 with a goal to transfer best practices to preserve environment and natural resources and cultural heritage of Mongolia. They proposed to implement a Junior Ranger Program in Hovsgol province. 200 students in 4-7th grades from Hatgal and Hankh secondary schools will learn to protect Mongolia’s environment and learn about the natural history of the Hovsgol area, its geological features, biological diversity, hydrologic cycle, forestry, soil composition and climate change impacts.
6. Partners for Protection Network
According to the National Statistics Office, 764 crimes involving domestic violence were recorded in the first half of 2016, demonstrating an increase of 178 cases or 34% from the previous year. In a sparsely populated country of 3 million, over 90 victims have lost their lives between 2011 and 2015 due to domestic violence. Half of these victims had referrals to justice and public service providers, although protection services were not available. Systematic and technical problems exist in health care, police and judicial sectors. The National Centre against Violence (NCAV) has 22 years of experience and inclusive child protection and social works services have been provided to a total of 19,700 clients, including psychological counselling, legal assistance, advocacy and protection. Under DAP funding, the NCAV aims to enable a timely protection services framework for support of survivors through strengthening capacity building of and fostering supportive partnership and cooperation amongst government, multi-disciplinary officers and specialists who provide services to domestic violence victims.
7. Hope for the Future
Mongolia’s rural population of around 1.4 million is closely linked with semi- nomadic livestock herding and limited livelihood opportunities exist outside of this sector (UNDP, 2007). Livestock herding is becoming increasingly tenuous and risky due to a combination of small herd sizes, high overall livestock numbers resulting in overgrazing, loss of seasonal movement patterns, increased numbers of unskilled herders, and increased frequency of severe winters (dzud). Through its activity, Family Agricultural Resources Mongolia (FARM) will work with severely affected dzud area like Arvaikheer soum of Uvurkhangai Province. The activity will be implemented for one year with a goal to provide a sustainable livelihood of vegetable production that improves food security, gardening education and knowledge for 25 vulnerable women headed households in rural Mongolia.
8. Providing Rights of Well-being and Playing Basketball with Local Youths
Herlen and Bayan-Adarga soums in Hentii province have high poverty rate and have no sport clubs or designate facilities for youth development. The Trainer of Basketball B (TOBB), a local NGO proposes to build a basketball open court and provide training clothing for 30 children (15 girls and 15 boys) from poor families in basketball. This will help the youth to become self-confident and lead a healthy life- style. Local governments of both soums, Och Manlai LLC and Durvun-Uliral Hentii LLC will also provide in-kind and financial support for the project.
9. “Green Way” Waste and Recycling Education Centre
Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Ulaanbaatar, the Rotary Club of Khangarid will address municipal waste management issues by offering training on waste management and recycling to teachers at the Mongolian National University of Education and students at the Secondary School #9. Keep South Australia Beautiful (KESAB), South Australia’s not-for-profit organisation that delivers world-class environmental sustainability education program, will provide an engaging and interactive platform to the project beneficiaries. Selected classrooms will be at both schools will be redesigned as “Waste and Recycling Centre/Hub.”
10. Improving Public Services through “Check My Service” Mobile Application
Public services are an integral part of our lives. Governments throughout the world have been increasingly paying attention to improving the services for which they are responsible. The goal of “CheckMyService” is to create a mobile application that facilitates direct communication on service issues between citizens and the administration of Ulaanbaatar city. This application encourages citizens to report issues in their neighbourhood, share and discuss problems, and monitor the authorities’ reactions. According to the report of the Information Communications Technology Agency (2014) 45% of UB habitants were online every day and more than half of the UB population used internet at least once a week.
The Democracy Education Centre (DEMO) was established in 2002. In 2012, DEMO launched the Check My Service initiative and assessed the transparency and accountability of 84 public services by service recipients through a Community Score Card tool. Their past work was recognised with an Integrity Award by the Anti- Corruption Agency of Mongolia (2013) as well as selected as one of the best innovations in Asia and Pacific region by the Open Government Partnership in 2014 and 2016 respectively.
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Putin Sees ‘Great Chance’ of OPEC Deal as Moscow Ready to Freeze www.bloomberg.com

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he sees no obstacles to OPEC reaching an agreement later this month, and Russia is willing to freeze its crude oil output at current levels as he thinks that oil exporters have overcome major differences in their positions.
“Whether an agreement will be reached, I can not say for one hundred percent, but there is a strong likelihood that it will be achieved,” Putin told reporters on Sunday after he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima. “Main contradictions within OPEC if not yet eliminated, they can be eliminated.”
After initial negotiations aimed at freezing production failed in April a preliminary deal was reached in Algiers on Sept. 28., which ended a two-year policy of pumping without limits. Although the OPEC pledge to cut output is still due to be finalized, Russia has already added more than 400 billion rubles ($6 billion) to the nation’s budget, thanks to its talks with OPEC, according to two officials familiar with the government’s calculations.
“There is no difficulty for us to freeze production” at current levels, Putin repeated Russia’s position on Sunday.
The world’s biggest energy exporter is struggling to pull out of its deepest recession in two decades after a slump in oil prices and international sanctions over its annexation of Crimea in 2014. In addition to the OPEC talks, closer ties with the U.S. may also help Russia ease pressure on its economy.
During the campaign, now Presiden-Elect Donald Trump called for an alliance with Russia to fight Islamic State and suggested sanctions imposed against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis could be eased. Putin say he is glad to wait to see whether this pledge comes true.
In a recent phone conversation, Trump confirmed his intention to normalize relations between the U.S. and Russia. "For my part, I did the same,” Putin said. They agreed that their staffers will have a meeting before two leaders will meet in person.
Trump is “actively forming his team”, but he has “no official staffers yet”, Putin said. “We will wait. There is still time”.
In fact Putin doesn’t know yet how his relation with Trump will go. Earlier this month he warned that “it won’t be an easy path” to restoring relations. Meanwhile he has his own domestic challenges and the main one is presidential elections in March 2018.
Recent wave of highly publicized criminal cases against governors, deputy ministers and other officials for alleged corruption, fraud and extortion has been described by analysts as one of key elements of Putin’s agenda for re-election, as Russia is still the most corrupt of major world economies, according to Berlin-based Transparency International.
Corruption scandal
The latest case has rattled the country’s elite. The Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev was arrested on bribery charges linked to purchase of the oil company Bashneft by state-controlled oil giant Rosneft. Putin was quick to remove him from the position in the government.
Although Putin says he can’t comment on Ulyukayev case before law enforcement agencies, judicial system, he said that such actions of law enforcers “only strengthen business climate in Russia” and all should know that “the law will be applied to everyone equally”.
Putin also strongly defended his economic policy and rest of the team.
The “regrettable” detention of Ulyukayev, “has not affected my attitude to government in general,” Putin said, adding that he plans to move forward with the privatization of state assets.
“This sad event can’t influence in any way the acquisition of Bashneft stake by Rosneft”, he said. Russia will not abandon plans to sell Rosneft stake as well.
“This will be a direct privatization of state assets”, Putin said. The government and management will work on selling the state stake in Rosneft, he said.
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Rio to idle Hope Downs 4 over Christmas www.mining.com

Employees at Rio Tinto's (LON,NYSE,ASX:RIO) Hope Downs 4 mine in Australia will do better than a lump of coal over Christmas this year.
 
The Anglo American mega-miner announced last week that it is shutting the iron ore mine down for two weeks at the end of the year to "reduce operating costs and maximize cash to strengthen the business" – the latter a thinly-veiled allusion to the lagging iron ore sector. While the price of the steelmaking raw material is up nearly 70% this year, most analysts believe that demand from China and other iron importing countries is not enough to keep up with continued robust supply from the Big 3 major producers: Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton (NYSE,ASX:BHP) and Vale SA (NYSE:VALE).
 
The temporary shut-down affects 440 workers and is the first time since the financial crisis of 2008 that Rio Tinto has taken such a drastic measure to cut production. Employees can either take leave or work shifts at other mines. Hope Downs 4 in the Australian Pilbara is one of the largest iron ore mines in the country.
 
Rio reportedly told employees in an email that the mine had achieved its annual production target early, allowing the company to lock the gates mid-December. However the Financial Times reports an analyst at Citi saying that doesn't really make sense considering the price of iron ore is sitting at US$72 a tonne. Clarke Wilson said the closure has more to do with limited rail capacity on Rio's Pilbara rail network during the holiday season.
 
Underlying market fundamentals no doubt also played a role in the decision. By taking production out of the market, Rio might be able to keep prices higher into the new year and stave off the correction that some in the industry are predicting will soon occur.
 
There is also a political dimension to the temporary closure. The National party, one of the coalition partners in Western Australia's government, has proposed a big tax increase on Rio and its competitor, BHP Billiton. The proposal would hike the production rental fee for both companies to AUD$5 a tonne from the 25 cents they currently pay. This is on top of the 7.5% royalty they already pay. Voters will decide the fate of the tax during state elections next March.
 
Rio Tinto took the opportunity of the closure announcement to ensure the state government sees that iron ore miners are vulnerable to more imposed costs:
 
"There couldn't be a worse time to tax our business an extra $1.5bn [US$1.1bn] every year. This will destroy jobs, hurt local businesses and damage Western Australia's international competitiveness," the FT quoted Chris Salisbury, chief executive of Rio Tinto's iron ore division, saying.
 
The company has been trying to rein in costs and raise capital, most dramatically by putting its Simandou project in Guinea on ice, followed by a decision in October to sell its Simandou stake to Chinalco for $1.3 billion.
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Tencent to spend $150m again on movies www.chinadaily.com.cn

Tencent Holdings plans to continue its bold push into the international film business.
 
Tencent Pictures, the Chinese internet giant's upstart filmmaking unit, has set aside more than 1 billion yuan, or over $150 million, to finance Hollywood and Chinese film projects in 2017, an unnamed source at the company told Bloomberg News.
 
Tencent has already spent approximately $150 million on film financing in 2016, the source said.
 
The company was a co-financier of Legendary Entertainment's Chinese box-office hit Warcraft (which grossed $220.8 million in the country) and the upcoming Kong: Skull Island.
 
In September, Tencent Pictures announced an ambitious 21-film slate spanning projects of various genres, including Tibet Code, a film adaptation of hit Chinese fantasy book series, and a 3D animation based on Tuzki, the popular rabbit emoticon used on WeChat, China's most popular messaging service (owned and operated by the Tencent parent company).
 
A Tencent representative declined to comment on the company's financing plans.
 
An online gaming platform that had become China's leading internet portal, social media site and instant messaging service before expanding into online publishing, TV and film production, Tencent passed Alibaba Group in September to become the most valuable tech firm in Asia, with a market capitalization of $250 billion. The company has been on an overseas investment spree throughout the year.
 
In June, Tencent bought Finnish hit game maker Supercell, the company behind Clash of Clans, for $8.6 billion. It later took equity stakes in STX Entertainment (Bad Moms) and Stuart Ford's foreign sales and finance outfit IM Global (Hacksaw Ridge) before partnering with sports and entertainment powerhouse WME-IMG to set up a joint venture in China.
 
Tencent Pictures also is exploring a collaborative pact with The Dark Knight producer David S. Goyer.
 
Tencent is engaged in an arms race with fellow Chinese corporate giants Alibaba, Dalian Wanda Group and Baidu Inc to secure a share of the expanding Chinese box office, which is expected to top North America as the world's largest movie market in 2018.
 
The Chinese giants see partnerships with experienced Hollywood players as crucial to their domestic and overseas success. Alibaba Pictures Group bought a stake in Steven Spielberg's Amblin Partners last month after taking stakes in several Paramount Pictures titles, including Star Trek Beyond.
 
And Wanda's chairman Wang Jianlin, China's richest man, told The Hollywood Reporter in October that he plans to invest billions into movies made by all six of the Hollywood studios.
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Japan's trade balance stays in black www3.nhk.or.jp

Japan's trade balance in October was in the black for the second consecutive month.
 
The value of exports shrank, but an even bigger decline in imports kept the index in positive territory.
 
The Finance Ministry announced on Monday the surplus was about 4.5 billion dollars for last month.
 
Exports were down 10.3 percent in yen terms from a year earlier. That's their 13th straight month of decline.
 
Fewer automobiles were shipped to Europe. Declines were also seen for iron and steel products to the United States, Europe and Asia and communication equipment to China.
 
The ministry says imports shrank 16.5 percent. This was largely due to lower prices of crude oil and natural gas.
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Data Dive: Snapchat revenue growth may not be a snap www.reuters.com

One problem Snapchat won't have in the immediate future is cash. But whether the social media star's underlying revenue will keep up is an open question.
 
The company filed for an IPO valued between $20 billion and $25 billion. Its last round of financing came in May to the tune of $1.81 billion, which valued the company at around $17.8 billion. That compares with a value of $16 billion in February, when the company raised $175 million.
 
The bulls are likely to cite eMarketer's report from September, which predicts that Snapchat's revenue will rise 155 percent to $935.5 million in 2017 from $366.7 million.
 
The downside to those numbers is that while Snapchat accounts for 32 percent of social network users in the United States, it's only getting 2.3 percent of social network ad dollars.
 
Facebook's third-quarter advertising revenue rose 59 percent to $4.3 billion, but its shares got trashed after the company warned that growth would slow in the current quarter. By comparison, Google's ad revenue jumped 18 percent to $19.8 billion. Twitter's advertising revenue rose 6 percent to $545 million.
 
No one questions Snapchat's ability to engage its users. But turning that engagement into money is another story. "The question is, 'Can you monetize it the way Facebook's monetized historically?' And that's going to be a real challenge for the company to keep up this level of growth," BTIG's Richard Greenfield told CNBC earlier this month.
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APEC leaders commit to fighting 'all forms' of protectionism www.reuters.com

Pacific rim leaders said on Sunday that they were committed to fighting "all forms of protectionism," and encouraged signatories of the TPP trade pact to continue supporting it despite fears it may not have a future in its current form.
 
"We reaffirm our commitment to keep our markets open and to fight against all forms of protectionism," the leaders of the 21-country Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group said in a closing statement after meeting in Peru.
 
APEC talks in Lima have been dominated by doubts over the future of free trade and in particular the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact following the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president.
 
Trump strongly criticized the TPP - which as it stands includes the United States but not China - during an election campaign notable for his strong criticism of U.S. free trade deals.
 
U.S. President Barack Obama, speaking at a news conference, said he was already hearing calls for a less ambitious trade agreement that would exclude U.S. workers and businesses.
 
Not moving forward with TPP would undermine the U.S. position across the Asia-Pacific region, Obama said at the end of the last stop of his final scheduled trip abroad as president.
 
Some leaders have suggested that the 12-nation TPP free trade pact could continue without the United States, while others have said that would be impossible without a complete renegotiation.
 
Another way forward might be a cosmetic change that would allow Trump to support the accord without losing political face, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key suggested in a round table on Saturday.
 
In parallel, China has been selling an alternate vision for regional trade by promoting the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which does not include the Americas.
 
Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, host of the APEC summit, said it was too early to write off the sweeping TPP deal following Trump's surprise win.
 
Kuczynski said that economic hardship had fueled support for Trump in the United States and the Brexit victory in the United Kingdom. "More than protectionism, it's a reflection of difficult economic conditions," Kuczynski said.
 
The final declaration by the APEC leaders said: "We encourage that all regional undertakings, including TPP and RCEP, remain open, transparent and inclusive and draw on each other."
 
Both deals could be potential pathways to a wider regional trade agreement, known as the FTAAP or Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific, it said.
 
The final declaration acknowledged that economic growth had become uneven in recent years and inequality had risen, factors seen as key in a shift to isolationism in Western economies.
 
"While the complex global economic environment will continue framing our work, it also represents an opportunity to reiterate our commitment to build a dynamic, harmonious and open economy in the Asia-Pacific region," it said.
 
 
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S. Korean prosecutors say president involved www3.nhk.or.jp

South Korean prosecutors suspect President Park Geun-hye widely conspired in the crimes of her long-term friend and two former aides.

On Sunday morning Choi Soon-sil was indicted on charges including fraud and conspiring to abuse power. She has known Park for over 40 years. An Chong-bum, a former presidential aide, was also charged with abuse of power. Former presidential secretary Jeong Ho-seong was charged with leaking state secrets to Choi.

South Korea presidents are immune from prosecution except for treason. But observers say pressure on Park to step down will now intensify.

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China pledges further opening as leaders scramble for free trade www.reuters.com

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged further economic opening on Saturday as leaders of Asia-Pacific countries sought new free-trade options following Donald Trump's election to U.S. president on promises to scrap or renegotiate trade deals.

All eyes were on China at this year's APEC summit in Lima, Peru just over a week after Trump's surprise victory in the United States dashed hopes of the largest-ever U.S.-proposed trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), coming to fruition.

U.S. President Barack Obama has championed the TPP as a way to counter China's rise, but he has now stopped trying to win congressional approval for the deal signed by 12 economies in the Americas and Asia-Pacific, excluding China. Without U.S. approval the current agreement cannot be implemented.

Trump campaigned against the TPP and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as bad for U.S. jobs. He said he would scrap the TPP and threatened to impose tariffs on imports from China and Mexico.

Following a meeting with Obama, Xi said Beijing's relationship with Washington was at a "hinge moment" and called for a smooth transition.

Xi has been selling an alternate vision for regional trade by promoting the Beijing-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which as it stands excludes the Americas.

"China will not shut its door to the outside world but open more," Xi said in a keynote address at APEC. "We're going to...make sure the fruits of development are shared."

Asia-Pacific countries should "advance economic integration and build open economies," Xi said. "Any regional trade plans should have widespread support... Sealing off and excluding others is not the correct choice."

Chinese attendance at the APEC meeting was its largest ever and regional delegates said China would take the lead on trade if the U.S. turned toward protectionism.

The Obama administration has warned that the RCEP would not include strong protections for workers, the environment or intellectual property.

In Lima on his last scheduled trip abroad as president, Obama said the United States worked to include labor provisions in a U.S.-Peru free trade agreement to lift wages and standards for Peruvian workers.

"That's the kind of attitude that we want to try to promote in ... the years going forward, and my hope is that that policy will continue."

TPP leaders held a meeting at APEC, where Obama urged them to work together to advance TPP, the White House said.

The leaders had confirmed the economic and strategic importance of the agreement, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kotaro Nogami told reporters after the meeting.

CHINA FILLS THE VOID?

With the fate of the TPP uncertain, China's talks on RCEP, which include Australia, India and more than a dozen other countries, are seen as perhaps the only path to the broader Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) that APEC aspires to.

"It's a more traditional trade deal, reducing tariffs on goods and services. It's not as far reaching as the TPP," Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters of RCEP. But "the more access we can get to more markets for our exports, the better."

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said the United States was an important partner in the region, but China would fill the void if a Trump administration backs away from free trade.

Key said TPP members might be able to incorporate "cosmetic changes" to make the deal more palatable to the real estate magnate and former reality TV star.

"The Trump Pacific Partnership for instance, that'd be fine," Key said, laughing.

Despite China's overtures, some APEC members were determined to press on with TPP and held out hopes the United States would still show leadership on trade.

"Our geopolitical position is with the United States, obviously," Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said. "That's where our eyes are set and that's what we are working for."

Pena Nieto said the NAFTA pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada should be "modernized." Trump has vowed to scrap NAFTA if he cannot renegotiate it,

Mexico, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore aim to continue with TPP with or without the United States, Mexico's economy minister, Ildefonso Guajardo, said on Friday.

Several APEC members said it was too soon to write off support from Trump on TPP.

"Barack Obama was not a supporter of the TPP when he became elected and he's leaving office as one of its greatest advocates," Australia's Turnbull said.

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Marilyn Monroe's dress sells for $4.81 million www3.nhk.or.jp

A dress worn by movie star Marilyn Monroe has sold for a world-record price at an auction. Monroe wore the sparkling gown when she sang a birthday song to President John F. Kennedy.

Museum chain Ripley's Believe It Or Not! paid 4.81 million dollars for the skin-tight gown. It is the most ever paid for a dress, which was one of a number of the actress's possessions to be sold since Thursday at Los Angeles firm Julien's Auctions.

JFK's birthday celebrations took place in May 1962, less than 3 months before Monroe was found dead at age 36.
The head of Julien's says Monroe singing "Happy Birthday Mr. President" is one of the most famous impromptu performances in American history.

The auction house says Monroe had asked designer Jean Louis to make a dress only she could wear. It says the dress features 2,500 hand-stitched crystals and its flesh color matched her skin tone.

The dress was previously auctioned in 1999. It sold for about 1.26 million dollars.

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